Magda
Mous, Four Aces Aviation Photography was at the SAR Meet 2005 at Kiel-Holtenau,
Germany, celebrating thirty years of the Sea King in German Naval service.
Photography by Paul Mali, Four Aces Aviation Photography

On 25 June
2005, the German Naval Air Station at Kiel-Holtenau organised its fifth
SAR-Meet, coinciding with the 'Kiel-week'. An interesting event for several
reasons, as it celebrated the Sea King's thirtieth anniversary of service
with the German Navy. Additionally, rumour has it that the Naval Air Station
at Kiel-Holtenau will be closed in 2006, with the Sea Kings of MFG 5 moving
to Nordholz. In other words, this may have been the last SAR Meet at Kiel!
The SAR Meet also coincides with the naval and sailing event of the 'Kiel
week', ensuring an appropriate scenery and giving visitors an extra impulse
to visit Kiel.

Seekers

Since Germany
joined the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) in 1962, its
Navy is obliged to have a aerial SAR (Search and Rescue) fleet. Initially,
Germany only operated Bristol Sycamore and Sikorsky H-34 helicopters,
both of them not adequately equipped for a rescue task. So in 1965 the
German government decided to purchase new helicopters, favouring the Bell
UH-1D for the Navy, as the German Army and Air Force were considering
purchase of the Huey as well. The Navy department was clearly against
that, as the UH-1D in their view had several disadvantages - it was not
capable of performing night operations, it
lacked range and it was considered too small. The Navy required higher
speed, a longer flight duration, and an all-weather capability for its
helicopter. After four years the Navy finally got what it wanted - in
1969 the Navy and Government agreed and an order was placed for twenty-two
Sea King MK 41 helicopters with the British Westland company, worth approximately
GBP 70 million.

Even before
the first helicopters were handed over to Germany, German Sea Kings performed
two spectacular rescue operations in the UK. On 16 January 1974, near
the coast of Plymouth, a British Sea King helicopter together with two
German Sea Kings (89+51 and 89+55) saved eleven men in a severe storm
from the Danish freight vessel 'Merc Enterprise'. Just four weeks later
the same three helicopters rescued twenty-eight men from the freight ship
'Lutria'. The ship's crew had to abandon their ship and were already in
lifeboats, on a sea with waves thirty to fifty feet high - despite these
terrible weather conditions, the ship's entire crew was saved.

The first
four Sea Kings were officially handed over to the German Navy in March
1974. Within a year, the remaining eighteen aircraft had been delivered.
On 1 April 1975 the German Navy had twenty-two
Sea Kings operational. And, thirty years later, this is considered a reason
to celebrate!

The Sea King
MK41 has proven to be a more than adequate aircraft, well-equipped for
its purpose. An interesting fact was that Sea King 89+55, which took part
in those first rescue operations in 1974, was the star of the 2005 SAR
meet. It had been decorated with a special anniversary paint scheme on
the fuselageand nose - on the fuselage, an eagle was depicted spreading
its wings, with the Kieler and German flag at the tips of the wings. On
the nose of the aircraft the head of an Eagle (MFG 5's
symbol) is depicted with its eyes positioned on the helicopter's two front
landing lights.

The SAR-meet
is held biannually, and its main goal is to gather rescue crews from all
over the world and exchange experiences about their daily work, rescuing
lives at sea. Besides German Sea Kings, there were some other interesting
aircraft on display - the German Air Force was represented by an AS532
Cougar and UH-1D Huey, while the German Navy also sent a Mk88A Sea Lynx.
A prototype of the NH 90 was on static display, which is supposed to replace
the Sea King in the future. The Royal Netherlands Navy participated with
a Lynx. Rare and unusual birds were a Lithuanian Air Force Mil Mi-8T and
a Polish Air Force Sokol W3, both wearing 'Search and Rescue' paint schemes.

During
the demonstrations, visitors could see a simulated rescue operation. 'Victims'
first jumped out of the Sea King into the water and were then rescued
with different types of rescue equipment, including a hoist and a cage.
Finally, all 'drowning' men were handed over safely to a nearby SAR vessel.
It was an impressive sight to see how the combination of vessel and aircraft
make powerful rescuers at sea!

And all this took place against beautiful scenery - the 'Kiel week' always
attracts hundreds of beautiful ships, both modern and old, sailing and
motor, big and small. Many of these vessels surrounded the Naval Air Station
of Kiel during the SAR MEET, which creates a very attractive background.